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The final game of Group D of the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Natal, Brazil was poised to decide which team would go through to the knockout stages and who would be packing their bags for going home. Italy and Uruguay who were the two most fancied sides to go through the group of death, created the situation of death for themselves after minnows Costa Rica surprised both and booked their place for the round of 16.In this make or break match, Italy controlled possession from the first whistle while Uruguay looked to break through with quick movements and one touch passes. Both sides looked cautious in their approach although Uruguay looked the likelier team to score the goal. After an actionless first half, the second half began in a similar fashion until the half hour mark when Marchisio earned a straight red card to reduce his side to 10 men.Uruguay started to grow in confidence and Luis Suarez struck once again; not with is feet but with his teeth. Then came the decisive moment of the game as Diego Godin’s header clinched a 1-0 victory for Uruguay to send them in the knockout phase while it was Arrivederci for the Italians.Where was the battle won and lost? We take a closer look through 5 main talking points of the match.
#5 Italy a world class team without world class strikers
For the second game running, Mario Balotelli proved to be a liability up front as he grabbed the attention on the wrong end of the play. The Milan striker squandered chances against Costa Rica and followed it up with a woeful performance against Uruguay. A yellow card is all he could earn in a game where he couldn’t register even a single shot on goal. A frustrating first half led to his substitution after half-time capping off a disappointing campaign in the tournament.
His partner Ciro Immobile was no different except maybe for the work rate that he offered. The new Borussia Dortmund striker failed to link up with his team-mates, was generally poor in holding up play, posed no threat and failed to get in behind the opposition defenders in the penalty area. Lacking a genuine poacher or a target man to convert or at least create spaces for chances led to the downfall of the Azzurris and they themselves are at fault for their loss.
#4 Diego Godin rises on the big occasion yet again
It was his goal at the Camp Nou against Barcelona that delivered the title to Atletico Madrid. It was his goal in the Champions League that almost led to Atletico winning the double. And it was him again who leaped higher than any other player to seal a round of 16 berth for the South Americans. Diego Godin once again proved to be a decisive figure when there seemed to be no opening in a tight encounter.
The captain rose to the occasion and led his team from the back. Defensively he had very little to do as Italy’s strikers hardly bothered the Uruguay backline in the final half. But he was alert throughout the game and made some brilliant tackles, winning all of the aerial duels against his adversaries. Godin has carried his club form into the World Cup and Uruguay with him at the back, looks like a team which is hard to break down.
#3 Marchisio\'s Red card shatters the plan of a draw
Before the game started, we could hear the commentator mention about a certain man dressed in yellow who is known as the Chili Dracula in his homeland. And referee Marco Rodriguez of Mexico, who has an average of 1 red card per game preceded his reputation with yet another in this game as he sent off Claudio Marchisio in the 59th minute after a direct challenge with the studs of his boot on the shin of Arevalo. The decision came as a shock to many especially to the players on the field and the Italian dug out.
Considering the refereeing standards we are accustomed to, some may have given a yellow card as a final warning for that challenge. But Rodriguez gave Marchisio his marching orders and the dimension of the game completely changed as Italy lost their only weapon which was to hold possession and see of the 90 minutes. Uruguay got to enjoy more of the ball in their opposition’s half and Italy’s task grew tougher by the passing minutes.
Finally, the goal came in the 81th minute and from then on Italy never looked like getting back into the game. They tried hard in the final minutes but even then, there was no quality delivery or an ounce of luck to put one past the Uruguay defence.
#2 Prandelli\'s tactics and style a complete failure
When Prandelli fielded a 3-5-2 formation in this game, it was almost certain that most of the chances would come from the wings with the two full backs Darmian and De Sciglio running back and forth to provide final balls and defend as required. And that would naturally require the strikers to get in behind the defence and wait for the deliveries in the box.
To the disappointment of all the Italian supporters, there was no sting at all from the wide areas. Instead, it was a game of holding possession and passing the ball around without any sort of urgency or any intention to create chances. The forwards were nowhere in the d-box as Balotelli and Immobile both were in a deeper position. Darmian couldn’t get forward while De Sciglio was totally absent on the left side.
Coming to the possession game, Italy’s style was another story of an about to fall European side. This World Cup has seen sides with direct attacking football and compact defensive approach win the games rather than teams who try to create spaces with passing. What was even more frustrating to watch was a toothless side whose ball movement was too slow to yield any final product.
It was Pirlo and Verratti all the way working the ball in midfield until Marchisio’s departure deprived them of having the ball. Prandelli and his tactics completely backfired and a significant amount of the blame for Italy’s early exit should go to him.
#1 Suarez scores a hat-trick of bites
He is one of the great footballers in the modern game. But there is no denying the fact that he sadly remains as one of the most bizarre yet disgraceful characters of the sport. Luis Suarez striked again and Giorgio Chiellini enrolls himself into his list of bitten targets. In the final ten minutes of the game, a frustrated Suarez planted hsi teeth on Chiellini’s shoulders which went unnoticed in the eyes of the referee. Chiellini cried out to the world showing the marks he gained after the incident. But all those cries turned into tears moments later as Uruguay scored the only goal of the game through a set piece.
Let’s make one thing clear here. Godin’s effort should be rightfully acknowledged and lauded as his determination to attack the ball gave his side the lead. But from a mentality aspect, the bite did unsettle the Italians for a moment and a lapse of concentration may have allowed the Uruguayans to take the initiative and score the goal.
First it was the handball incident against Ghana in 2010 World cup. Then a bite on Ivanovic during the clash against Chelsea. And now this. It remains to be seen how long will FIFA endure his wild antics and let him loose only with long-match bans. For now, the Liverpool striker will surely be punished for his heinous act. But for how long and how severe will be his punishment remains to be seen.
